urn:taro:utexas.cah.01596A Guide to the Walter B. Wilson Collection, 1895-1939Original EAD encoding by Jessi Fishman according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing
Instructions. May 2010Finding aid written in English.
Descriptive Summary
Wilson, Walter B.Wilson, Walter B. Collection1895-1939Materials are written in English.194313 ft., 3 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at AustinLetters, diaries, and scrapbooks of
Walter B. Wilson, printer, publisher, and journalist, relate to daily occurrences in
McKinney and the surrounding area, including the Methodist Church, Rotary Club,
Chamber of Commerce, and Populist and Prohibition movements in Collin
County.
Biographical Note

Walter B. Wilson (1869-1939), printer, publisher, and journalist, was the owner and
editor of the McKinney, Collin County, Texas, newspaper for more than thirty years.
Wilson was born in 1869 in Illinois, the son of a Methodist minister and a church
and charity worker. He came to Texas at the age of 18 with two brothers, and started
his business career in printing and publishing.

The weekly Democrat-Gazette, the oldest paper in Collin
County, was founded in 1884, and ten years later Wilson became its editor. He held
this position, as well as the position of editor of the daily Courier-Gazette, for twenty years before the two papers merged. Wilson
then served as editor of the merged Courier-Gazette for
another thirteen years until his death in 1939.

Along with his publishing and journalism feats, Wilson was well-known for his civic
duties, including President of the Chamber of Commerce, President of the Collin
County Confederate Veterans, Secretary of the county’s Red Cross chapter, and member
of the school board for over thirty years. He was a member and former commander of
the Henry A. Wiley Camp of Spanish-American War Veterans and a member of the
Official Board of the First Methodist Church. Additionally, Wilson was one of the
first contributors to Southern Methodist University at Dallas.

The Walter B. Wilson Papers, 1895-1939, include letters, diaries, and scrapbooks, and
relate to daily occurrences in McKinney and the surrounding area. The Methodist
Church, Rotary Club, and the Chamber of Commerce figure prominently in the papers.
In addition, the papers document the Populist and Prohibition movements in Collin
County during the early 20th century. Furthermore, the papers include morgue files
of the Weekly Democrat and the Daily Courier, which were printed by Wilson. The scrapbooks contain
original newspaper clippings and articles from the Standard, the McKinney Messenger, the Weekly Enquirer, the McKinney Gazette, and other papers.

Alternate Format Available

Microfilm of this collection is available for use.

Access Restrictions

A portion of this collection is stored remotely. Advance notice required for
retrieval. Contact repository for retrieval.

Use Restrictions

Due to the fragility of these manuscripts the microfilm should be used rather than
the original manuscript.

Walter B. Wilson Collection, 1895-1939, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,
The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers
InventoryContact repository for more information.